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Elves
Elves '''are a largely mysterious race who first made their appearance known around Y3A-350 when they settled in what is now called Londar and built Hyvern City. It is widely believed that the elves are magical in nature, or at least have some understanding of magic that humans do not as they seem to have an uncanny ability to manipulate nature to their benefit as well as having mysterious healing abilities. The elves were once a peaceful race of beings that spent much of their time nurturing the life around them but after the First War of the North, after the mainland elves were massacred, their peaceful nature turned largely reclusive and over time, many forgot that such beings had ever even existed. Back within The Veil, the rage and pain following the massacre fueled their anger for over 350 years until they finally retaliated in full force and began the Second War of the North. History '''The Origin of the Elves. Around two thousand years ago, a large tribe of humans known as the Lumerians, suddenly came into conflict with a warlike tribe of gnolls that had been passing through. The gnolls, hungry for bloodlust and excitement saw the Lumerian people as the sport they'd been craving and descended upon them in a swarm of crude blades and teeth. For weeks, the gnolls persisted in their attacks with wave after wave of onslaught, rotating out those that fought for fresh warriors and never letting the Lumerian people rest for more than a few hours at a time. The ravaging of the Lumerian people very nearly wiped them out, but for some miracle, they escaped their besieged homes and fled north to the great ocean that we now call The Abyss. Where once there were hundreds of Lumerians, now there were only tens. Backed up against the great black, they built boats and rafts, and seeing no alternative, braved the ocean and attempted a crossing. With no idea what would be awaiting them or what dangers lay in their path, the Lumerians departed the mainland of Athelon and sailed into the unknown. Almost a month of aimless drifting passed before they finally encountered The Veil. By now, their numbers were so few that it wasn't certain what would happen even if they did make landfall, the prospect of just dying out seeming to be a very real possibility. A great wall of mist surrounded a swirling vortex of wild magic, ripping and shredding the wooden hulls of their crude boats. Somehow, against all odds, they made it through The Veil and before them, rising out of the ocean, lay their saviour at last. The Isle of Elhaigh. When the surviving Lumerians finally came to shore, they numbered only two hundred. Their numbers slowly began to increase on the island thanks to the luscious flora and fauna that covered the surface. Plants and animals of sorts never before seen on the mainland flourished like a wildfire, utterly full of life. Due to the nature of the island, as with the plants and animals that lived there, the physiology of the Lumerians also began to change. The first thing to be altered was that their life spans began getting longer and longer, at first doubling but later tripling and then quadrupling to almost two hundred years, with some even living into their two hundred and twenties. Over the course of two thousand years, their facial features also began to change, genetic deformities such as their slightly pointed ears and more angular eyebrows became more common among the colony and their jaws became narrowed, resulting in their distinctive pixie-like faces. The more evident result of their physical changes was that their skin colour began to slowly lose its pigment and turn somewhat pale blue. Their hair, once a bright golden, became silver and then darkened to a deep blue. Occasionally a golden-haired baby will be born thanks to the recessive gene but it almost always turns silver with age. Over time, the colony began to worship the deity named Va'Leyar, for they believed that it was her divine doing that had bestowed upon them their paradise sanctuary. A statue of the goddess was created in her honour, carved from a single colossal crystal that had been found in the heart of the home mountain, becoming a symbol of their faith. At some point, after they had firmly established their new home and first noticed the changes that were happening to them, the colony decided to abandon the name Lumeria as it only served to remind them of what had been lost and name themselves elves, after their new homeland Elhaigh. The Emergence of the Elves. After two thousand years of solitary seclusion from the rest of the world, a group of elves finally decided to leave their home island in search of more territory and to expand their kingdom. Having grown with and learned how to navigate The Veil, they could pass through without incident and so eventually stumbled upon a massive stretch of land that they named Londaran Arin. Their distant home. Just a few years after the elves first disembarked upon the mainland and had begun building their new homes, an elven tracker named Koren Waystrider happened upon an ancient stone fortress embedded within the higher reaches of the western side of the Highback Mountains. Curious and inquisitive by nature, he assembled a small team of other trackers and ventured into the ancient fortress. Whether they found anything within is not clear, but it was only a few short years later that the elves began building Hyvern City around that very fortress. Over the years, the entrance to the fortress was eventually destroyed or hidden and the Citadel built on top, forever concealing whatever lay beneath. Just two and a half hundred years later, a group of humans from Raelic, to the east, passed through the Albarond Mountains and encountered the elves for the first time. The First War of the North. The elves and the humans lived in relative peace together for well over four hundred years until around the year Y3A-1100 when relations started to turn sour. The Raelian humans had been growing in number for some time and slowly pushing into the elven territory, infesting the elven towns and villages like a plague. Before the elves really knew what was happening, half of the outer villages were exclusively occupied by humans. The elves resisted for a time, barring access to their towns and building fortifications to keep out the human menace, but everything they tried inevitably failed. A rift between the two nations was gradually forming, a divide of one side wishing to keep their land and their ways intact while the other wished to join together and live in tandem. Some of the elves were even in agreement with the humans and also wished to join their two peoples, but they were few and far between. Many of the elves saw the human ways of life as abhorrent and repulsive; the slaying of creatures for food and of the destruction that usually followed in their wake. They knew it wasn't their fault, but the humans inevitably destroyed everything the elves held dear and they couldn't see any way of changing their very nature. Over time, the elves steadily retreated to their capital, Hyvern City, reluctantly abandoning their outer villages in order to stay with their people and retain their ways, not really wanting to cause conflict. The humans, no longer restricted by the presence of elves in the outlying towns, expanded ever more until eventually all of Londar belonged to them. By the time the elves realised their mistake, it was too late and they were trapped. Despite attempts to converse with the queen of Raelic, the talks failed time and again. Once taken, the humans were reluctant to relinquish their hold over anything they had obtained. Tensions steadily rose between the two nations but the elves were hopelessly outnumbered and had nowhere else to go. It is uncertain what finally sparked the war, whether it was the elves in their attempt to reclaim some of their lost territories or whether it was the humans who had finally decided to be rid of the elves once and for all. The end result was that after only a couple of months, Hyvern City had been besieged, eventually destroyed and every elf within had been slaughtered. After losing contact with the mainland elves, a group of elves from Elhaigh decided to investigate the issue. They had known about the recent rise in tensions but hadn't fully realised how bad it had become. When they saw the utter destruction of their city and their people, rage and sorrow filled them. They returned to Elhaigh where they reported their findings. Angered by what had happened, the elves vowed to one day have their vengeance and take back their land. Post-First War of the North. For over three hundred and fifty years, the elves remained secluded on their island, unwilling to emerge for fearing the same fate of the mainland elves. Their pain and rage at what had happened festered in their hearts, changing them little by little. Their bitterness and hatred towards humans steadily increased until finally, they decided that it was time to take back their land. The Second War of the North. An army of elves, some two thousand in number, made the crossing to the mainland and immediately launched into their attack. The elves were merciless in their engagements, completely devoid of any remorse or pity. They swept across the land like a great scythe, cutting down all who stood in their way. These were not just a group of elven hunters and trackers seeking revenge, these were soldiers; born, raised and trained for the express purpose of reclaiming their lost land, these were the Night Hunters. Stories of the army spread like wildfire as people were alerted to the presence of this great force. They ravaged everything and everybody, scorching every village and every town they passed to the ground. In only a few weeks, half of the lowlands had been burnt. The humans were quick to pull together their defences but they had been utterly unprepared for this sudden engagement and with no trained force to combat against the elves, they had no chance of ever being able to fight back. Still, as more and more people fled to Hyvern City for refuge, the number of people willing to fight rose. Almost every able-bodied man and woman stood together on the walls of Hyvern City and somehow, against all odds, managed to repel each attack, staving off their destruction for another day. For near a month of besiegement, the humans trapped within the city fought for their survival. The Night Hunters, realising that they were unable to breach the defences, sought an alternative means of entering the city. Splitting off from the main army, a small group of elves journeyed south to a secret cave system that passed through the Highback Mountains. When they finally emerged from the ancient passages, the Citadel, located at the top of the city was the first sight that greeted them. The city fell shortly after. The small party of elves were killed but not before the council and most of the royal family had also fallen. Upon being told of the fall of the Citadel and seeing no alternative, King Renoveld pulled most of the defenders back from the front wall in order to organise a retreat and flee the city. The humans escaped the city and with the elves hot on their heels, fled far to the north to an ancient stone fortress known as Mistward Keep. There they found refuge within the stone walls and with nowhere else to go, stood their ground once more. The humans would have been wiped out then and there had their dwarven allies not arrived when they did. The elves, cut off from their retreat, were boxed in and cut down from both sides. Their force obliterated. Post-Second War of the North. The elves, having suddenly realised what they had done and finally seeing themselves as the monsters they had become, relinquished their age-old grudge and set down their weapons, calling for peace. Both sides of the war had suffered greatly and neither one actively sought a third war and so the humans of Londar agreed to the peace. The elves, though having originally sought to regain their long-lost territory, now strangely found that they no longer even wanted it. The ground had been stained with blood and to take possession that land now, did nothing but sicken their hearts. Not to mention that they would only be inviting a third war further down the line when the humans began to encroach once more. Though their grudge had finally been settled, relations were still extremely tense for a very long time and even now, one hundred and fifty years later, very few elves ever journey out from their homeland. Culture Faith The elves believe that at one time in their history, there were many Eternals that roamed freely across the land, shaping and forming the world that they now live upon and bestowing their immense powers into their creations. Many of these Eternals were merely elementals and held power over only certain aspects of the world like fire and earth, some were more powerful and could manipulate the wild magics of the other planes, weaving and entwining the essence into objects of immense power. But above all of these was Va'Leyar, the Eternal of life. She was said to be the strongest and most caring of the Eternals, having the power to manipulate and bestow the very essence of vitality into creatures and breathe life into them. The elves believe that it was from her grace that they were saved in their time of crisis and given new life on Elhaigh. Within the elven capital city of Tyranor, deep inside the Tyranor Mountain that sits in the heart of Elhaigh, a large natural cavern houses a colossal, crystalline statue of their goddess, Va'Leyar. Hundreds of smaller statues and intricately carved murals of her and the other Eternals are scattered throughout their homeland with each piece of artwork depicting a great deed or story of the long-distant past. Va'Leyar's most loyal subject and leader of the elven nation, the High Priestess matriarch, plays a crucial role in the elven faith and way of life. At the break of dawn and at dusk's twilight of every day, the High Priestess journeys alone into the mountain with offerings of sweet-smelling incense and fruits from the gardens of life in order to appease Va'Leyar and thank her for her boundless blessings. Communing with the goddess is considered to be a deeply spiritual event that only the High Priestess herself is permitted to do and even so much as entering the mountain without express permission is considered a great disgrace. The other elves, since prohibited from visiting the statue, are content to each hold within their hearts a place of peace and life with which they are to give back to the land each day in honour of Va'Leyar. When the High Priestess feels that her time is up and that she is about to die, it is her sacred duty to choose her successor from her priestesses to join her before the crystalline statue so that the Blessing of Passage may be witnessed and consecrated. They remain seated within the cavern until the Blessing of Passage has been completed. Once the High Priestess has passed, her body is carried out into the city square where it is set aflame atop a sacred pyre. The elves also have a deeply spiritual bond with the four great birds that live on the island, with each making their roost at the summit of one of the many mountains that border their home. A group of elven druids dedicate their lives to taking care of each of the birds, seeing to it that they stay healthy and cared for. It is widely believed that the birds were sent by Va'Leyar to protect them and ward off any danger and as such, it is only right that the elves should repay that debt. To the far north, atop the Tarron Mountains, is the great Thunderbird, Raithuum. South and East, along the Karyal Mountains, is the magnificent Moonwing, Soren. West, within the Farrel Barrier, is the Enkira, Rillendil. And finally, sitting atop the peak of the Tyranor Mountain, the Boreal Kite, Eris. Gender Roles While gender roles are not widely enforced among the elves, with every member of the general public being entitled to any role they so wish, it is more commonly seen that the women tend to favour the roles relating to the nurturing of life and medicines seen in healing while male elves prefer the more artisan jobs such as weaving clothes and building. Physiologically, the lither, feminine forms of the women are more suited to tracking and hunting while the bulkier male forms are geared more towards the heavy work of farming. One exception is with the Priestesses and High Priestess, as they have always been women. This is because it is believed that Va'Leyar will only speak with the female members of the race and as such, no male elves are ever accepted into the ranks of the Priestesses. This also means that the rulers of the elves have consequently always been women. Ageing When the Lumerian people first landed on Elhaigh, their lifespans were roughly that of an average human, being around fifty-sixty years. But over time, when their bodies began to change into the elves we know today, their average lifespans doubled, tripled or rarely, even quadrupled to be a little over two-hundred years. While some speculate that their average lifespan will continue to rise with time, others have noticed a distinct slowing and in some areas, even a decline, though this may just be a coincidence. There are three distinct phases an elf passes through as they age, beginning with the adolescent. Up until roughly twenty years of age, the elven people are not considered to be truly a part of the society and are often delegated the more menial tasks of studying and general labour. After their twentieth year, they typically choose a field in which to further themselves and each other and while not strictly a permanent choice, often they remain within their role for the rest of their lives. It is in this adult stage of life that many elves choose to create families and sire offspring, though newborn children are relatively rare with only forty to fifty being born each year. After the female elf passes one hundred and fifty years of age, the ability to sire children ceases and they are officially delegated to Matriarch status. Matriarchs are considered to be the wisest of the elves and, should they choose to do so, often become one of the All Mothers, a group of highly skilled women who pass down their teachings to the young ones. Male elves, unfortunately, do not live as long as the female of the race and it is far rarer for a male elf to even reach the age of one hundred and fifty. If one should happen to do so, they typically take up artisan hobbies to pass the time. Regional Elves Because the Isle of Elhaigh is so large and the elves are so spread out, over time, many of the communities have developed a slightly different culture to one another. While most of the general aspects are very similar, a few regional differences are noticeable in their lifestyles and accents. City Dwellers Those that live within the walls of Tyranor City often enjoy the hustle and bustle of the other city folk going about their business more than they do the seclusion of living out in some of the smaller and more relaxed villages on the outskirts of the inner island. To them, the noise and presence of other people can be a great comfort. There is a point of contention between those who live within the city and those without, for as the city is largely protected by the great stone walls that encircle it, many of the people who live there have never had to worry about wild animals and beasts. Without the fear of vulnerability, many can't seem to understand the need for the killing of wild animals and the wanton loss of life. Trackers are shunned and outcast, the village and townspeople who inhabit the rest of the island are looked down upon, and the Aringuard are at best, tolerated. To those who live outside the walls, the city folk can often appear to be arrogant and imbecilic. Fisherfolk The fisherfolk who live along the Oogleden Lake, in the northern part of the island, spend much of their free time out in their boats, fishing for both entertainment and food. Their boats are beautifully crafted pieces of art that glide across the lake, appearing to slip through the water like a fish and at the height of the summer months, the lake is full of meandering boats that drift in the currents, little rods emerging from either side. Government For over two thousand years, the rulers of the elven nation have been the High Priestesses of Va'Leyar, working to communicate the wishes of their goddess down to the people. The Temple of Va'Leyar, located at the entrance to the Tyranor Mountain is one of the most sacred places within the entire nation and is where the High Priestess lives and rules from. Her students known as the Priestesses, are a selection of extremely talented elves who from a very early age dedicate their lives to learning the arts of healing and bringing peace to their followers. While many of the elves value healing and the giving of life, it is only those who work in the Temple of Va'Leyar who have the power to actually bestow miracles. At the end of a High Priestesses life, when she feels her essence slipping away, she chooses one of her student Priestesses as her successor and together, they pass into the deep chamber that houses the crystalline statue of Va'Leyar to witness the Blessing of Passage. Prior to the Second War of the North, the High Priestess of that time, fuelled by rage towards humanity and sorrow for the loss of her Londaran people, went against the values that the elves hold so dearly. Under the promise of retribution, she persuaded two thousand of her followers to strip away their morality and become a tidal force to wash humanity away. For years they trained, preparing for their vengeance, utterly consumed by their fury and blindsided to everything else. Some elves protested but the venom was infectious and spread throughout the nation like a wildfire. It was only afterwards, in the wake of the destruction they had caused that it truly hit home what had happened, what they, as a people, had caused. They had created something so deeply abhorrent that many elves to this day refuse to speak of it. The High Priestess eventually sacrificed herself as penance for her revenge, unable to truly come to terms with what she had initiated. Many of the subsequent High Priestesses have sought to make amends but tensions on both sides are still high. Disputes While disputes among the elven populace are usually harmless and trivial, if left unresolved they can rapidly lead to devastating and unforeseen results. The lack of a currency within the nation is an inherent issue that has caused countless problems over the years, but it is the only system they have ever known and so, they are unwilling to change their ways. The primary issue with this system is that citizens are not rewarded for doing any more or less work for the community than anybody else and if any one person does not do their part or decides that they deserve more than anybody else, arguments and disputes can rapidly escalate to serious issues. In order to quell any disputes, the two parties will come before the High Priestess herself to explain the situation. Each explains their particular stance on the matter and it is generally acknowledged that whatever ruling the High Priestess gives, is binding and must then be respected. Whether the losing party feels cheated or upset by the resulting decision is irrelevant. Jobs and Roles Unlike many of the other races, the elves don't have a form of currency in their everyday way of life and even the concept of exchanging goods for other items of value is completely alien to them. The elves live in a society of equilibrium with one another where their roles in life are to benefit the nation as a whole and not for any selfish gain. In the elven culture, there is only one among them who is considered to be of a higher stature than everybody else and obtaining such a position is not down to any monetary power, thus with no benefit of obtaining more power or money, there's never been a want or need. High Priestess The ruler of the elven nation and matriarch of the Priestesses, the High Priestess is chosen by the prior leader at the end of her life. The role of the High Priestess is to act as the voice of the people in conversing with their goddess Va'Leyar and subsequently relay her messages down to the people. In times of great strife or conflict, the High Priestess may take it upon herself to command the elves as their military leader in order to keep the greater elven population from harm. Priestess Students of the High Priestess, these women come to the Temple of Va'Leyar in order to learn how to become healers and spiritual guides for the rest of the elven people. Only women are able to become Priestesses and they must be willing to devote their entire lives to their studies and the ways of healing. Because becoming a Priestess is one of the greatest honours one could ever wish for, it is incredibly difficult to achieve. To even become a potential applicant can often take years of gruelling and selfless work and even when finally accepted, the rigorous training can often take tens of years to be considered anything more than an Adepta. The Priestesses must be completely selfless in their actions, going out of their way to help others less fortunate and truly view themselves as only an instrument of Va'Leyar, having no ulterior motives such as craving for power. Very rarely, an elf will join the ranks with the express purpose of becoming the next High Priestess, hoping to one day become the leader of the elven people or even just to enter the sacred mountain and speak with Va'Leyar herself. But these elves often do not make it very long among the Priestesses. Unable to completely detach themselves from their intentions for such a prolonged period of time, and with no guarantee that they will even be chosen to become the next High Priestess, many see this as a futile effort and a potential waste of hundreds of years. Druid Druids are caretakers whose role it is to tend to the four great birds of the island: Raithuum, Soren, Rillendil and Eris. Small campsites located near the summits of each of the mountain nests are inhabited by at least one of the druids for the duration of the warmer months and they will frequently rotate out so that no single druid is left on their own at the summit for too long. During the winter months, when the temperature drops to below freezing, the druids will all return to a lower campsite, located within the mountain itself in order to stay warm. The ascent is more difficult from this lower perch but is far warmer, food stores are more plentiful and it's generally easier to survive when not exposed to extreme temperatures. Between five and seven druids live within each of the campsites at any given time. It is also here, in the caves, that they keep the Varien Ravens. Each week, a raven is sent from the camps back to Tyranor in order to relay messages and reports. While ravens are not the most reliable form of sending messages, with one in every twenty not making its destination, they are easy to train, breed and keep alive within the caves and are by far the quickest way of relaying messages back to Tyranor. When an urgent message needs to be sent, it is common practice to send three ravens with the same message, ensuring that at least one will make it back. Farmer By far, the largest and most vital job role among the elves is that of farming for crops and tending to the animals that they keep. With over thirty thousand elves living on the island, the amount of food required to sustain them is a truly colossal amount which requires both a massive area of land and farmers to tend it. There are approximately 480 square miles of potential farmland to the north and east of Tyranor. With each square mile being able to sustain around 180 elves, the maximum capacity of the island is only around 86,400 inhabitants before they will be forced to clear some of the forests, something that is not a particularly appealing thought to the elves. The elves have an interesting approach to farming because they don't use tools or machinery to seed and harvest their crops, believing that the metal of the tools will taint their food sources. Instead, they spread hundreds upon thousands of gourd seeds into the fertile soil which over the course of four-six months, grow into a thick and dense blanket of foliage. Once the gourds are fully grown, the fruit is hand-picked and sent to the city for storage, making sure to leave the thick foliage behind. At the end of the first harvest, the elves spread the second layer of seeds into the fields where it falls underneath the protective 'umbrella' of foliage. This time, however, the seeds are of rice, wheat and corn which are far quicker to grow and the produce is greater. As a result, these grasses make up a large bulk of the elven diet. Over the course of the following few weeks, the gourd plants die and become nutrients for the new plants to feed on. Wild animals such as stags and prowlers are free to roam the countryside but are rarely seen due to the elven presence. Livestock animals such as goats and sheep are more often kept in pens in the central parts of the farmland where they can be safely raised and cared for in order to gather their produce. Miner As with all civilisations, mining for raw resources is absolutely vital for creating tools and materials for furthering technological advancements and building their iconic style of construction. Much of Tyranor City itself is made of a combination of living wood, entwined around great blocks of white marble, with colossal crystalline domed ceilings created from Cymarulum, a crystal formed from blue quartz, gold and titanium. Iron and Aurichalcum are also a commonly sought-after ore for the creation of Aurich metal, a golden-coloured alloy that is far stronger and lighter than the standard steel that humans most frequently use. There are dozens of quarries and approximately thirty small mining camps set up at the entrances of mines all over the island, each using a system of pulleys and carts to haul out the ores and rocks. Around ten to fifteen elves work at each mining camp and often have small forges on-site for making repairs to equipment. Herbalist Scattered throughout the island, often on the outskirts of the many villages, are small huts typically covered in colourful plants where herbalists make their homes. While most elves have a much stronger immune system than the average human, they do occasionally still get sick and require treatment. Herbalists are familiar with the medicinal properties of herbs and plants found on the island and can, for most mild sicknesses, create concoctions and potions that aid in treatments and give small boons. Herbalists are often the subject of much debate within the elven communities as some believe that only Va'Leyar should have the power to heal and that herbalism is a bastardisation of their faith which should not be trusted. These people will most often flock to the Temple of Va'Leyar for healing instead but this causes problems when the Priestesses have too many people to tend to and cannot sufficiently tend to everybody, especially for only mild ailments. The Priestesses have freely stated that herbalists are an important role within the communities and should be utilised but still, the problem persists. As most of the plants used can only be found in scattered and remote places on the island, herbalists will often have a small garden around their home where they can grow more of the herbs and plants that they require for their trade. Tracker Highly skilled in both hunting and the reading of terrain, trackers (Sometimes referred to as hunters) primarily work as the protectors of small villages and hunters of the more dangerous wildlife found on the island. While the village elves are highly supportive of their work and appreciate what the trackers do to protect them, the elves who live within the city walls are not so understanding. To them, the taking of any life is abhorrent and disgraceful to their faith, regardless of whether it was done for a good reason or not. Elven trackers are often mistrusted and outcast from the larger communities and over time, they have responded to this by becoming more recalcitrant towards them and now prefer to work in the smaller villages and help where they are actually wanted. While trackers largely live in the wilderness of the island, sleeping in shallow caves or under trees, many of the trackers do not consider themselves homeless. A small fort from ages long past, located to the east of the Estrel Forest and somewhere within the Farrel Barrier acts as their home base of operations and it is here that they train new recruits and occasionally come back for rest and recuperation. Skyhold, the name of the fortress, is one of the oldest structures on the Isle of Elhaigh and though it is not known exactly when it was first built or for what purpose it served, many ancient artefacts of unknown origin and purpose have been recovered and are stored within its walls. Trackers are largely trained in the use of swords, spears and bows but favour the use of bows more so than the other weapons as they hold a symbolic meaning. Before a new recruit becomes a fully realised tracker, their final assignment is to hunt down an August Bloodclaw and from its horns, craft their bow. This bow marks their graduation into the ranks of the trackers and is easily their most prized possession. Trackers typically prefer to wear dark green travelling cloaks and leather armour in preference to metal plating as the mobility it provides is far more important to them when hunting dangerous beasts and the scraping of metal armour plates can often give away their position, costing them the element of surprise. In more recent years, some trackers have found that they are able to add protective metal plating on select places of their more vulnerable areas such as wrist guards and spaulders without any of the hindrances that more bulky armour would cause, blending the two styles in order to give both protection and mobility. Metalweaver Metalweaving is a very secretive method of metallurgy unique to the elves and while not much is known about the process or what is required, what is clear is that the end result is staggeringly beautiful to behold. Slithers of entwined metal strands are woven together in intricate patterns that reflect light in a dazzling array of hues. Colours shift and shimmer across the surface as light passes by, the strands almost appearing to dance in a delicate and purposeful motion. This artistic style is thought to be largely inspired by the way vines and plants wrap themselves around one another in nature, building up their strength through each other and forming a bond of unbreakable spirit. Feathers of metal plating then coat the underlying framework of the structure, resembling the appearance of a bird-like design that adds additional protection without giving up any mobility. Much of the armour created for the Aringuard is created from an alloy unique to the Isle of Elhaigh, called Aurich. A combination of iron and aurichalcum ores, forged in the heat of a stream of lava and resulting in a golden-bronze metal, far stronger and more flexible than any steel the humans could ever create. Trimmed with Black Iron and bound with red strips of woven fabric, the golden armour is easily distinguished as belonging to the royal protectors of the High Priestess and their home country. Tailor Elven clothing is second only to food in the order of importance to the elven civilisation and as a result, is often extremely high in demand. Hundreds of fields lie dotted throughout the island, growing all manner of fabrics for clothing and crafting materials ranging from cotton and flax (Often spun into fabrics used for clothes) to hemp and jute (Used in the more sturdy and rugged items such as baskets, satchels and ropes). Among the tailors who weave the fabrics are a select group of extremely dedicated people known as the dye-makers whose job it is to colour them. Volcanic rocksalt crystals are harvested from the rims of nearby spring pools and are dissolved in colossal vats of animal urine which is then left to ferment in the sun for a few days. The stench of this process is horrendous. The primary ingredients of the dyes are then emptied into the ammonia vats where they break down in order to create the primary colours. Because all of the dye colours come from crushed or boiled plants, leaves and roots, there are hundreds of varying shades available. To truly get the richest and deepest colours, the fabric must be submerged in the 'first dip' for up to eight days before being withdrawn. This can sometimes be shortened but the longer the fabric is submerged for, the better the colour will turn out to be. Because these colours are so much more difficult to produce, they are generally only ever worn on very special occasions such as ritual gatherings and nights of song. One thing to note is that secondary colours (Orange, green and purple), are far more difficult to create due to having to mix the primary colours together first and requiring an exact measurement of all ingredients or else it turns brown. These colours are also very rarely ever of vibrant colour as the mixing of two different colours will almost always dilute the pigment to be dull and muted. Fabrics are generally never dyed white except for linen, which is naturally grey/brown. Generally speaking, by soaking the linen in an uncoloured ammonia vat and rubbing ash powder into the fabric before letting it bake in the sun for a few days, the linen will often become a much more brilliant shade of white. This can sometimes be used on previously dyed fabrics but will often come out a pale colour rather than white. Black dyes from berries have been used to some degree but it is often better to just use pure black wool instead. Alchemist Dealing with the chemical reactions of substances and materials in order to strengthen or enhance the base object. Alchemists love experimenting with different metals and discovering new ways to combine them and find uses for the resulting products. The crystalline rooftops seen throughout the city are a perfect example of what was achieved by the combined might of the miners, alchemists and metalweavers of Tyranor. Crystal blue quartz is an extremely abundant mineral found within the mines and was often discarded as being nothing more than somewhat pretty junk, but the alchemists soon discovered that by properly cutting the quartz, the crystal could be fashioned into extremely beautiful pieces of shimmering glass, ideal for decorations and potentially even windows. One major issue they encountered was that by cutting down the thickness of the crystal, it became much weaker and often shattered when under strain, in some of the larger pieces, it couldn't even support its own weight without shattering. In order to strengthen the structure, the alchemists discovered a way of bonding extremely fine titanium powder to the crystal, small and fine enough to be almost invisible on the surface. This also had an unintended consequence of making the crystal rock even more beautiful and stunning to look at. Together, with the metalweavers, they made great, domed flower patterns out of pure gold and filled the gaps with the strengthened blue quartz, resulting in the iconic elven rooftops that crown the city. Aringuard The royal protectors of the island and of the High Priestess herself. Almost five hundred strong, these warrior knights stand guard along the perimeter of the city walls, watching for any indication of an attack. Gifted with Aurich weapons and armour, they act as the final defensive force in protection of the High Priestess. It was the Aringuard who were sent during the Second War of the North and swept through the kingdom of Londar like a great tidal wave, mercilessly cutting down all who stood in their way. After their defeat at the hands of the combined might of human and dwarf, the elven High Priestess of that time finally stepped back from her hateful rage, spent and tired. She saw for the first time what she had become and was disgusted by what she had turned the Aringuard into. No longer were they the defensive line of protection they were designed to be, they were a weapon of destruction, and everybody knew it. Following the Second War of the North, the reputation of the Aringuard was in ruins and it took a long time for them to build their ranks back up again. The distrust of what the Aringuard had become lingered and festered, growing into something that many just couldn't get past. Trackers from the outlying villages took up the mantle of Aringuard for a time, duty bound to act as protectors when called upon. But while being one of the Aringuard has its privileges in the form of the Aurich weapons and armour, it strips away much of the freedom that being a tracker allows. Warfare Before the First War of the North, there had never been any real need for a military presence and their innate distaste for bloodshed reinforced their reluctance to build one. The elves wanted peace and they firmly believed that if they didn't get themselves involved in any conflict, they would be left out of it. They were a truly neutral kingdom. This was not to last. It's unclear exactly what happened for there were no survivors, but it is rumoured that in their effort to remain conflict-free, the mainland elves withdrew into the capital city of Londaran Arin and just a few short days later, were destroyed. Outraged, the High Priestess formed the Aringuard. Two thousand troops, outfitted with the best Aurich armour and weapons they could make. It took them over three hundred and fifty years to build up their forces and to train. By the time of the Great Sundering, military service for the night elves had become more a matter of bloodline than ability. Almost all high-ranking officers were nobles, and the night elves had lived in peace for so long that very few of those officers, however privileged and well educated, possessed even a basic knowledge of tactics. Joining the army, once a selfless choice to defend the night elf people, had been reduced to a status symbol. The War of the Ancients made the army's deterioration all too clear. After the night elves and their allies had achieved victory, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind decreed sweeping changes throughout night elf society. As part of these changes, Tyrande disbanded the old army, most of which had no desire for further battle, and established the Sentinels.58 The night elf sentinels are considered great warriors, fighting with savagery and skill that amazes even the greatest of warriors.69 The sentinels care little for melee combat, instead relying on their trusted bows and throwable three-tipped glaives.70 Swords,7172 scimitars,73 daggers74 and the two-tipped glaives more commonly associated with Demon Hunters7576 are seen only in isolated cases. Supporting the sentinels in battle are the druids, the Sisters of Elune and the Watchers, all of whom bring powerful magic to aid in battle. Night elf technology is rather limited however, and the only commonly employed technological war equipment seems to be the Glaive Thrower as seen throughout night elf territory. Rather than rely on technology in battle, the night elves instead bring their natural allies. Amongst these many, many allies are Owls, Sabers, Hippogryphs, Dryads, Keepers of the Grove, Nymphs, Treants, Chimaeras, Faerie Dragons and Ancients7778 (see notes for controversy). Furbolg, Wildkin, green dragons and storm crows are also allies of the Night elves,3 but don't appear to be integrated in their armies. Wisps can also be found among the crews of night elven boats. Language Naming Technology Cuisine Customs Notes on Culture Appearance Elves are extremely similar to humans in almost every physical way bar a few key differences, they're typically the same average height, weight and physique as a human and from a moderate distance, one could quite easily be mistaken, but unlike humans, elves have slim, pixie-like faces that narrow at the jaw, creating a sharp and lean appearance. Their ears and eyebrows are much more pointed and angular, and their hair colours range from a dark blue/black to almost a bluish silver, though occasionally a golden or green-haired elf is born. Their skin is typically pale grey/white with a bluish hue and the women of the race have what appear to be slightly paler, blue stripes that cover their bodies from the neck down.